


Fate's Game

by buckybarney



Category: Captain America, Marvel, The Avengers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Betrayal, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Hydra, Kidnapping mentioned, One curse word, Soulmates, drugging mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckybarney/pseuds/buckybarney
Summary: A decade or so after the end of WWII, James Barnes and you are paired on a mission to capture an undercover Hydra agent who has infiltrated the SSR.  James Barnes has recently escaped Hydra's brainwashing and your background is less clear- what happens on this long-term mission is something neither of you could have anticipated.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10
Collections: Marvel xReader Fanfiction Fest 2020





	Fate's Game

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sultrygoblin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sultrygoblin/gifts).



> This was so fun to write, I had never written noir fiction before and I decided to try it out with a Bucky x Reader Soulmate AU.
> 
> This takes place in an AU where everyone has a soulmate who is revealed when each mate says the right words at the right time to each other. Both partners instinctually know when this happens. This AU is also set a decade or so after Captain America the First Avenger. Bucky was captured by Hydra but was rescued by Steve and Sam and no one traveled to the future.

“Agent Barnes, correct?”

“If you were wrong this would be incredibly embarrassing for you, doll.” the gruff man stated disinterestedly as he motioned towards the chair you had already pulled out and were now sitting in.

James Barnes, more formally Agent Barnes, and formerly Hydra's Winter Soldier.

The larger than average male was to be your new partner in this investigation- you, a top historian and strategist for the SSR who specializes in Hydra information, and Barnes, Hydra’s former top soldier, lost from the United States Army and then recaptured from Hydra’s ranks, were tied together for the unforeseeable future. 

Barnes had an interesting history if you remembered the details correctly- He had been captured during the war and brainwashed into helping Hydra for years until his two closest comrades from the war, former Captain Sam Wilson and former Captain Steve Rogers, had managed to sneak into the enemy organization and free their lost friend. 

Barnes was back on the good side now although it was often hard to tell, due to his unconventional and morally dubious tactics. 

His methods, as well as those of his friends, were questionable at best and downright illegal at their worst- but Barnes never failed a job. He hadn’t failed once since rejoining the SSR and he didn’t plan to, ever. Sure his tactics were unconventional, but the SSR was just as riddled with corruption as Hydra, it was just directed towards more beneficial aims rather than the twisted aims of the other organization. 

In fact, the whole world had taken a morally questionable turn after the war and everyone was just trying to keep up in the aftermath.

Barnes would be damned if he let you get in his way of this next mission, James thought to himself, as he took in your feminine and wholly unintimidating figure across from him. But there was no avoiding the uncomfortable reality that he would need your specialized information- so Barnes reluctantly turned in his seat to face you fully. 

He would work with you and get this job done, but if you thought for a moment he would make it enjoyable, well, he laughed to himself, you were severely mistaken.

Barens would be tough to work with, you realized when you reflected on your first impression of him. You had hoped the conversation would take a more friendly route- maybe discuss your personal lives, hobbies, general interests, and whatnot, but Barnes clearly had other plans. You had wanted to ask too, out of sheer curiosity, if the rumors were true and Hydra had truly removed Barnes’ soulmate words - which existed only in the mind of the two matched individuals and was revealed only at a specific moment in time- were truly erased in his brainwashing. But his gruff attitude changed the direction of your talk a great deal, and you felt frustration settle in your bones at his unfriendly tone.

“Aren’t you quite the charmer, Barnes. Your reputation certainly doesn’t precede you, Agent. Anything good I heard about you appears to be a myth, I’m afraid.” 

“I’m a real charmer when I want to be, doll” Barnes scoffed, somehow looking quite suave in his dark suit and matching hat. The cigarette burning by his parted lips cast shadows on the rings adorning his fingers and light danced on the table below. You suddenly remembered the rumors- those rings were taken from his many ‘targets’ on previous assignments, and he had a reputation for utilizing them brutishly when needed.

“And when is that, I wonder? And don’t call me that- I’m a full agent just as you are,” You growled scornfully. 

Barnes smirked, releasing a puff of smoke before continuing. 

“When I’m not paired with insufferable little girls to complete a job meant for real agents. That’s when... doll.”

Indignation was painted across your features but whatever clever retort you intended to spew was cut short when Barne’s two friends, Sam and Steve, joined your small gathering to discuss upcoming plans for the assignment. They were chatting amicably about Steve’s mate, Peggy who was still back at the office, and Sam’s pursuits of a particular young woman from work. You felt your irritation drop when the new figures joined and the conversation turned to more pleasant introductions and small talk. Your little feud with Barnes was not forgotten, however, and once more glance at his brooding, cigarette-lit figure reminded you of that fact.

You decided that Barnes was just as ill-tempered and bull-headed as you feared based on this preliminary meeting and your first real conversation with the man.

Your assignment just got a lot harder.

\---- ----- ---- -----

“Are you serious right now Barnes?! What could possibly be taking you this long back there?”

Bullets whizzed past your crouched figure as you desperately kept lookout over James' figure which was hunched over the fizzing, corroded keyboard of the old Hydra base’s mainframe. The old fashioned computer had taken a severe beating, and the agents still in the base were a real pain in both your asses but the information held in the bulky machine was too invaluable to your mission to leave it behind.

For weeks you and Barnes had been cooperating as smoothly as his disagreeable personality allowed, but small disagreements like this one still arose. The bickering was unavoidable really, you convinced yourself. There was no way the two of you could have been anything more than reluctant work partners.

“C’mon Barnes, a damned child would have been done by now,” you growled lowly.

“Then why the hell didn’t you offer to do it instead of me, huh doll?” James bit back in frustration.

If the wretched machine could just hurry up a bit…. 

“There!”

“Finally got it, did you?”

“Oh I got it alright doll, now let’s get out of here- Sam and Steve have cleared the back hallway and the jet’s waiting by the back entry point.”

“The back entry point? Are you serious Barnes? That's-” another few bullets whizzing past you cut your sentence short- “so. far. Away!” Your breath was coming out in short bursts as you sprinted by James down the narrow, dark hallway towards the broken door. Down a few more halls, around a few corners, and you had arrived at the rusted back door which would lead you both to safety. The agents who were surely following behind you were an inconvenient afterthought as Bucky and you continued to bicker over the door.

“Would you have preferred the front entry sweet cheeks? Where the- ugh” His body slammed into the locked slab of metal and caused it to shake free from its hinges- “horde of enemy guards are?”

You muttered unintelligibly in response and worked to keep up with his sprinting form.

“That’s what I thought,” he snipped back easily, “Now shut that little mouth a’ yours and help me get this damned door open- Ah. Perfect. There’s the jet.”

Sam and Steve were waiting for you as promised, and you hurriedly followed James onto the stealth plane as the engines roared to life. After checking in with the two other men about their results from the mission- and listening with rolling eyes to their questionable fighting tactics which had allowed them to safely clear the path to your exit - you and Barnes moved towards the back to analyze the information you had gathered.

Bucky lit up a cigarette and reclined into the bench at the black of the jet. He had already largely recovered from the strenuous sprint and adrenaline rush and was once again calm, cool, and collected.

“What'd ya got for me, doll?”

You grumbled under your breath as you freed the files and flash drive from under your tan, belted coat, and woolen skirt and you couldn't help but snarl back at his question.

“A few less than friendly words if you can’t stop calling me doll, Agent.” Bucky merely chuckled and inhaled another puff of smoke. You shuffled through some papers and produced a document for inspection. “But… I do have the location of their next gathering- it looks like the top officials, and the confirmed SSR double agent will be at this… gala. Next week, late on Saturday night, at the fancy convention center downtown. We’ll have to go sneak in and-”

“Are you crazy, Agent? How do you propose we do that? I knew you were naive, doll, but damn- this is a new level. Do you even know how many agents will be there, how many people will recognize me?” His voice deepened with anger at your foolish suggestion, but you cut him off.

“Of course I know Barnes, and if you had let me finish my sentence… you would know that I have here the guest list, their specific plans for the evening- it’s all here Barnes. And I have a plan.”

“You,” he gestured condescendingly with his lit cigarette, “have a plan?” 

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I do.” 

And thus you continued to inform him of your detailed strategy for sneaking into the gala and finding the double agent whose attendance was confirmed. 

You needed to take that agent back into the SSR for interrogation and cause as much damage to the rest of the gala attendants as possible; A sly break-in, isolate the target, pounce, then a speedy exit was all you needed to do. You even pointed out to Barnes the designated area on the convention center blueprint where the target was suspected to be located.

As you talked and overwhelmed James with your detailed plan, he never seemed to notice how bizarre it was that such detailed information was left out in the open at the base, or how it didn’t seem to match up that you had found the file without alerting Bucky during your time in the base. 

Thankfully he didn’t ask questions, however, and you felt a smidge of gratitude for the way he viewed you- as nothing more than a little girl who wasn’t fit to be on missions.

Well, he would soon learn how skilled you were when you arrived at the gala next week and he learned just how talented you truly were at your job.

\--------

“Stop messing with your tie, Barnes, we have to go in any minute now.” You rolled your eyes at his behavior.

Bucky huffed a breath and continued to twist and pull at the garment as you shook your head- it would be over soon, job complete and mission over, in just a few short hours.

“You just focus on getting this door open, doll, and then I’ll really believe this plan of yours.”

You refocused your attention on the task at hand, and when you felt the cool metal of the door handle give way under your grip. You cheered silently inside that yes indeed, your plan was working out just as intended.

The plan you were currently following through on had Bucky dressed up in a server’s uniform, complete with stiff white collar and black tie. The customary downcast gaze he adopted to impersonate the staff was meant to conceal his identity from the crowd. Your own disguise as a late party-goer, clad in a sleek evening gown with an old-Hollywood vibe, allowed you to arrive at the gala relatively unnoticed when drinks had already been served and patrons were headed towards the sloppier side of tipsy. In and out, grab the target and retreat... you could do this, you assured James, nothing to worry about.

James, in his disguise, would stay in the kitchen and keep the exit secured and safe as you worked your feminine ways and seduced the target back into the kitchen for a little after-meal treat which would result in his kidnapping and return to the SSR for interrogation.

But what Bucky didn’t realize was that although you were leading him straight to the double agent as planned, the agent wasn’t in the kitchen like you had claimed. Hence Bucky’s surprise when the hidden ‘kitchen’ door actually opened up to the main stage of the ballroom. 

You had told Barnes to follow behind you where you believed you would drop him off in the kitchen and continue to the party to find the target, but in reality, you led him straight into the spotlight where he was surrounded by Hydra agents who were dressed up for sure, but in military and tactical gear rather than fancy evening wear.

You had a plan, indeed, but it wasn't the plan you had informed James of.

James' shock almost made remorse form in your belly until you remembered what was at stake and what was being held against you by Hydra. This was a sticky situation all around and you truly hated to deceive the man whom you had grown somewhat fond of over the last few months, but your sister's entire family would be murdered if you did not comply. They were all you had left and with your parents gone, you refused to let the last members of your family who you felt so responsible for perish at the hands of the terrorist organization. 

“Doll…” You had never heard Bucky’s voice sound so strangled, so pained, despite the months you had been working together. “You… You really fuckin lead me right back to them?! You’ve been lying this whole time?” His pleading, betrayed eyes bore into your own conflicted ones.

You swallowed your guilt with sadness in your eyes, “I didn’t lie about one thing Barnes- the double agent is right where I said she would be.”

You held out your arms and did a small, slow spin. In the end, it was you the whole time, you were the one who had been weaseling through the SSR for who knew how long, spreading false information and stealing secrets for the enemy, and now you completed the final task of bringing Hydra's most prized possession back to them.

You weren't proud of your choices, but your sister and her three small children would be released and live to see another day after this was over- you had no clue what would happen to you, didn't even care really, as long as they were alive and safe.

But Barnes knew nothing about that and there was an undeniably crushed look in Barnes’ eyes as the Hydra agents grabbed his arms and forced him to kneel on the wooden stage when they took him into custody once again. You could almost feel the distress, the pure hurt, which radiated off him in waves.

He managed to choke out a last question amidst the chaos- and neither of you was prepared for what happened next.

“Why, doll… just... why?”

“I had no choice James," you wailed into the open space between you, "I’m a prisoner as much as you are. They own me too.”

“No one owns you but yourself, doll, no one but you.” 

When James spoke that sentence in defeat, and as the Hydra agents were forcing you into restraints like those they had placed on James, the tell-tale spark of two soulmates meeting fired in your chests. As the old tales said, it took the right words at the right moment which was predetermined eons ago, for you to meet your mate. 

This just wasn’t how either of you expected the moment to go. 

You cried out suddenly, from the sensations in your body at the match and from the emotions you could now sense from your soulmate. What had you done, oh lord- you thought, and the last thing you were conscious of before your felt the pinprick of a needle your neck, was that Barnes of all people was your soul mate, and now you desperately needed a new plan- a plan to get you and your mate out of this colossal mess you were trapped in and find a way to get his forgiveness if that was even possible at this point. You had no clue how you ended up in this situation, but you saw everything in a new light.

As the drugs kicked in and you watched with strangled horror as the men drug James off the stage and pulled you along too, back to the Hydra base no doubt, you felt shame and disgust coil in your belly. No matter who you tried to save someone else got hurt, and now, your soulmate's life was on the line and in your shaking hands before you had even had a civil conversation with the man.

If this was what fate had intended for you and James Barnes, your apparent soulmate, then you felt like nothing but a pawn in a sinister game.

Your mind was already working over plans to get everyone, yourself included free, but the darkness soon consumed your vision and you fell into a drug-induced slumber as you were carted off to a destination beyond your control.


End file.
